Running XP's Disk Defragmenter from the command line

It can take a long time for Windows XP's Disk Defragmenter to defrag a disk that's extremely fragmented. Find out how you can speed up the process by running the command line version of Disk Defragmenter.

If you encounter a hard disk that is extremely fragmented,
running the GUI version of Windows XP's Disk Defragmenter can take an excessive
amount of time to defragment the disk. Not only does
it take time to actually defragment the disk, but
there is a lot of overhead involved in managing the operating system and the
GUI while simultaneously running Disk Defragmenter.

Fortunately, you can speed up the process by booting the
system into the Safe Mode With Command Prompt
configuration and then running the command line version of Disk Defragmenter.
Follow these steps:

Restart
Windows XP.

As the
system boots up, press [F8] to display the Operating System Choices menu.

Press
[F8] again to display the Windows Advanced Options menu.

Select
the Safe Mode With Command Prompt option.

Select
the Windows XP operating system and log in.

When
the Command Prompt window appears, type Defrag to see a list of options for running the command line
version of Disk Defragmenter.

Note: Keep in
mind that your command line version doesn't provide any feedback on the
operation's progress, so be patient until it completes the operation.

About Greg Shultz

Greg Shultz is a freelance Technical Writer. Previously, he has worked as Documentation Specialist in the software industry, a Technical Support Specialist in educational industry, and a Technical Journalist in the computer publishing industry.

Full Bio

Greg Shultz is a freelance Technical Writer. Previously, he has worked as Documentation Specialist in the software industry, a Technical Support Specialist in educational industry, and a Technical Journalist in the computer publishing industry.